The Pre-socratic
Philosophers
(OI PROSOKRATIKOI FILOSOFOI)
Web links : THE PRE-SOCRATICS
The story of western philosophy begins long before the birth of Christ. The blind poet Homer, who wrote the famous Iliad and Odysey, live around the 12th century BC, at about the time of the Trojan wars. He was not a philosopher but a poet, mixing stories of gods and men in a fantastic creation which can hardly be called 'history', though it is undoubtedly based on historical events. These mythical journeys and tales all take place around the region we now call Greece and in the Mediterranean.

In those days, the world was regarded as the plaything of the gods, who lived on Mount Olympus, presided over by Zeus.

Then, suddenly and inexplicably, around the 6th century BC, civilisation in 'Greece' took an amazing turn, leading to the world's briefest and only true democracy. Many men sprang up who investigated the universe with their minds, leaving an unrivalled legacy of wisdom, speculation and questions.

There were several different schools of thought, all disagreeing on the question of what the universe ultimately was and what truth was. The most abstract group, the 'Eleatics', believed that motion was impossible - that in the end all was changeless being. Zeno of Elea is the most famous of these thinkers, leaving behind him paradoxes that were not solved (if indeed they were solved) until relatively recently. Another school, marked by the great philosophers Heraclitus and Diogenes, believed in change and motion. Heraclitus believed that all was made of fire and reason (pur and logoV). There work formed the background for Plato and his disciple, Aristotle, whom we will examine later.

Most of this week's session might seem only of historical interest (although it is certainly very interesting). However, the legacy of these thinkers is still with us. Which is more important to you - the absolute, unchanging 'being' of a timeless truth beyond human conception or the fear you have of handing in an essay late and getting into trouble for a day? I don't expect the answer this week - this is all just to set a background. But try to look at the work of these thinkers without your presupppositions, many of which may be quite false...

GP
Send comments on this week's session to MAIL WEEK 1

Read comments on this week's session at MAILBOX.